Improvement in oil-cans



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HIRAM WELLS, OF FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN olL-cANs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17, l 211, dated April 21, 1857.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM WELLS, of Florence, in the county of Hampshire and Statefof Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOil-Cans for Oiling Machinery; and I do hereby declare that the 'same are described and represented in the following specification and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements, I will proceed to describe their construction and operation, referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the gures.

Figure l is a plan or topview `of an oil-can with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 1 cut through the center.

The nature of my invention and improvements consists in constructing the oil-.can so that the oil which descends on the outside of the tube or spoutwill run into the can again through a hole provided for that purpose, which hole is provided with a valve arranged to be closed by a ball in a conical cup when the can is turned down to deliver the oil.

Oil-cans with my improvements may be made in such forms as will best adapt `them to the purposes for which they are to be used,

vbut I prefer for general use a can made in the' form of a cone, as represented in the accompa- 1 nying drawings, in which- A is the bottom, which should be set in a little from the edge and be made a little conveX or rounding outward, as shown in the drawings, and it should be made so thin and elastic that it may be easily sprung or pressed in with the ngers, so as to force the oil outof the tube of the can whenever it is desired to do so.

B B are the sides of the can, made conical, and terminating in a female screw, C, at the top, to which the male screw of the tube D is fitted.

The tube D may be made in the form shown in the drawings-that is, a tapering tube provided with a collar, E, which is scored or milled on the edge, so that it maybe held more easily to screw the tube into the can. The

male screwG being made higher than the male screw, so as to form a cup around the tube D 4and prevent the oil from running down the sides of the can. The hole G is made conical or countersunk on the under side, and the end the valve into its seat and stop the hole G when the can is tipped down, I fasten a circular concave piece of metal, I, to the lower end of the rod H and surround it with a conical cup, J, which is connected to the male screw by metal supports, one of which is shown at K, so as to hold` the cup in its place. In this cup Iplace a sphericalball, L, of metal, so that when the concave plate I rests upon it the hole G will be open, so that the oil which runs down on the outside of the tube will run into the can; but if the can is turned down to deliver the oil the ball L Vrolls down the inclined side of the conical cup against the plate I and forces the valve into its seat, so as to stop the hole G and prevent any oil from escaping through it. When the can is set on-its bottom, theball L rolls into the bottom of the cup, and the valve falls back and leaves the hole G open for the oil on the outside of the tube to run in. To supply the can with oil, take out the male screw and conical cup attached to it and pour in the oil; then screw the tube in again, and it is ready for use.

The advantages of this can are as follows:`

besides,it is self-operating, and requires no attention from the user in order to save whatV oil runs down on the outside of the tube. The conical cup has a hole or score in the bottom, so as to let the oil down.

I believe I have described and represented my improvements in oil-cans so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use them. l

I will now state what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, to wit:

The conical cup and ball so arranged as to close the valve, substantially as described, when the can is turned down to deliver the oil contained in it. 'p

HIRAM WELLS.

Vitnesses:

HIEAMSTEBBINs, AS. D. HILL. 

